Dr Jagdish Gandhi, Founder-Manager & Dr Bharti Gandhi, Founder-Director

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We are extremely happy that CMS Gomti Nagar Campus II is organizing the 4th International Environment Olympiad 2019 from 12-15 December 2019 where students of various countries of the world and various states of India will be participating. Your sincere and honest efforts are highly applauded as you are promoting and focusing on protection of environment which is essential for survival of living beings.

This event will inspire every body to take action that will protect the Earth and thus our lives. The ultimate goal of environment education is action - action for bringing improvement in environment, preventing its degradation and sustaining its well being. This Olympiad has been initiated with an aim to inspire younger generation to plant more and more trees.

City Montessori School has always been at the forefront in raising social issues. In keeping with its mission of 'Think Globally, Act Globally', the school strives to raise awareness and future generation realize its responsibility of preserving a healthy environment is essential for all species.

The aims of International Environment Olympiad (IEO) actually run parallel to the operations carried out by the United Nations. The Article 21 of the declaration issued at 1992 Rio de Janeiro environment conference organized by the U.N. emphasizes the importance of involvement of youth and international cooperation.

We wish CMS Gomti Nagar (Extension) campus a grand success in achieving the aim and goal of this Olympiad and congratulate them for organizing this highly meaningful highly meaningful event.

Prof. Geeta Kingdon , President, CMS, Lucknow

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All good people and nations want to save the environment but the task seems so enormous, they wonder what to do and whether anything they may do individually will be effective. This confusion leads to a paralysis of will to act, especially since action requires sacrifice of consumption (of water and energy). Environmental inaction at the level of countries is also exacerbated by confusion (nuclear vs alternative energy sources; bio-fuels vs fossil-fuels) and by self-interest: lack of willingness to sacrifice national economic growth/international trade/goods-transfer/employment/living standards, to cut emissions in order to curb global warming.

These are thorny issues. The olympiad will raise considerably the bar of students' understanding of these 'issues of their age'. We are ambitious for what this olympiad will achieve – preparation of confident, knowledgeable, young ambassadors of the environment movement throughout India and abroad who, in due time, will make noteworthy contributions to the rehabilitation of the environment.

I congratulate Ms Manjit Batra, Convener & Senior Principal and Mrs Sangeeta Banerjee, Co-convener & Principal of CMS Gomti Nagar II, the staff and students for choosing such a meaningful topic for their school's international event, and wish them all the best in their endeavour.

Mr Roshan Gandhi Forouhi , Director of Strategy, CMS, Lucknow

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Environmental degradation is a silent problem which develops gradually and almost invisibly, and yet it is one of the greatest crises faced by the world today, posing an existential threat to life as we know it. Careless actions towards the environment lead not only to long-term, world-wide shocks such as the melting of the polar ice caps or global warming, but also to immediate health problems as we breathe in excessive pollution on a daily basis.

With our quality of life so directly determined by the state of our environment, it is vitally important that young minds are engaged with issues of environmental concern. It is the younger generation who will be able to act differently from their elders to take greater care of the environment we all share.

The International Environment Olympiad organised by CMS Gomti Nagar Extension is an excellent initiative for ensuring that young people understand the environmental problems faced by India and the world, and how to think about tackling them. Through a broad variety of activities, the event will give students a deepened understanding of why it is imperative that they work towards improving the condition of our environment, and how to go about doing so.

I am delighted that the 4th International Environment Olympiad is taking place. It is only through awareness-raising, education, and action of this kind that we will be able to slow down the damaging effects of environmental degradation.

Ms Susmita Basu , Head, Quality Assurance and Innovations Department CMS, Lucknow

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‘No generation has a freehold on this Earth. All we have is life tenancy- with a full repairing lease’. These words have been very aptly said by Margaret Thatcher and define our temporary relationship with the natural environment.

Since the beginning of time, environment has helped us in establishing a relationship with the flora and fauna and has ultimately determined our formation and survival. Though natural resources are available in abundance they are being excessively exploited for our own selfish needs. Hence our dependence on natural resources has made it essential for us to take considerable measures to prevent the destruction and depletion of our natural resources.

Though various schemes and laws have been established in favour of saving nature, it is still the duty of each one of us individually to protect the environment for our future generations. This can be appropriately connoted in the words of Lester Brown, “We have not inherited the Earth from our forefathers, we have borrowed it from our children.

We at City Montessori School strive hard for the protection of environment by not only developing sensitivity and awareness amongst our students but also conducting various events to develop a positive mindset of the learners towards overcoming environmental challenges.

International Environment Olympiad is one such event conducted by CMS Gomti Nagar Extension which underlines the importance of conservation of environment and encourages the children to be the responsible citizens of our nation through direct involvement in the event.

I congratulate the Senior Principal, Principal and entire staff of City Montessori School, Gomti Nagar Extension for conducting International Environment Olympiad – 2019 and wish a spectacular success for the meaningful event.

Mrs. Sushama Rajkumar , Secretary IEO, Lucknow

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The earth's natural assets are made up of plants, animals, land, water, the atmosphere AND humans! TOGETHER we all form part of the planet's ecosystem– together is perhaps the most important word here. Everything we do as humans affects the world we live in – we do not have limitless resources – we have the power to destroy or create – we need to teach children to create, care for and respect our world.

Children are the future. While growing up, if children are exposed early to a pro-conservation attitude they are bound to practice and integrate such practices and principles as adults, effortlessly. They will make eco-conscious decisions based on instinct rather than as a result of being constantly reminded or reprimanded.

Creating worldwide change isn't done with just one person; it has to involve everyone. In order to involve more people in the efforts to help the environment, it's important to get younger generations involved in the effort. By fostering a concern for the environment and sustainable habits early, we can raise children who will be more aware of environmental issues.

The 4th IEO is an initiative to bring together young voices who can be trained to respond to Nature's wisdom call and sing back to her their own songs, so that there is a first-hand and powerful transformation of bodies, minds, and spirits.